Assuming all goes well at court and the medical reviews on our upcoming trip to Russia, we will have to make another trip shortly thereafter to finalize everything and bring Alina home. The good news is that we scrounged up enough miles to cover our airfare (plus the applicable taxes & fees, etc). So I started checking on how much that next trip will likely cost us, and called the airline's customer service desk.
One thing that we now have to consider is the idea of the "lap child". Well, flying domestically, apparently you don't have to pay for a lap child. However, for an international trip, you have to pay 10% of the base ticket price of an adult ticket. In our case, from Russia back to Dallas, that will be like $75. Not bad, right? Well, that's not all.
The customer service agent said "you will also have to pay for fuel surcharge, and as you know, fuel has gone up a lot in reason years, and the fuel surcharge has gone up like 300%." Well, can't say that I follow the gouging that is the "fuel surcharge", but I do follow regular gas prices (which, for the record. have only gone up like 200% during this same time frame). I'm thinking, okay, that will like double the price maybe. Oh no. It will be an additional $385!
So I start trying to rationalize this out. People can load like 40 lbs or more into a carry on bag and get charged nothing. You can load 50 lbs into the first bag you check and pay like $15 (I think), and yet transporting our little 20 lb. baby, who will be eating only food that we bring with us mind you, will cost nearly $500 all-in? Holy cow! She's not even getting a seat! Will that extra 20 lbs actually burn THAT much more fuel? Crazy.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Russia Trip #2
We found out today that we will be heading back to Russia on Aug 23 for a week. On Monday and Tuesday, we will go to Moscow first to be seen by 8 doctors for various medical examinations: a requirement for the adoption. Tuesday night we will travel to Alatyr to see Alina on Wednesday before going to court in Cheboksary on Thursday. Thursday night we will travel back to Moscow overnight, and we'll be there until we come back on Saturday.
The reason we will be coming home is that there is a 10 day waiting period after our appearance in court before the adoption can be finalized. If all goes well, we will be headed back to Russia about a week later to go to court again.
So awesome to see things continue to progress.
The reason we will be coming home is that there is a 10 day waiting period after our appearance in court before the adoption can be finalized. If all goes well, we will be headed back to Russia about a week later to go to court again.
So awesome to see things continue to progress.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Did we mention the waiting?
We heard today that our paperwork has made its way to the court in Russia. Now the judge has to review our dossier (all our documentation), and determine if everything is in order. Once it is determined that our paperwork is good to go, then the judge has 2 months to set a court date. Since the month of August in Russia is the main time that many people take a vacation, we assume that we will not travel until September. But there is certainly no guarantee because we have no idea how long it normally takes a judge to review the paperwork.
In the meantime, we continue to prepare our home for Alina's arrival. The wonderful folks at my office held a shower for us today. We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family.
Everything about this experience has ended up being a learning experience and a journey that we will never forget. Not only have we been reminded of how great a support network we have around us, we have found out more about ourselves. When we feel that we have just about run out of patience, God grants us a little bit more to get through another day.
I am usually a fairly happy go lucky person, with very few things in life causing me to worry too much that I don't know what to do with myself. But this is something that has tried my patience and my perseverance more than I have ever been tested in my life. I've found myself praying more, and asking God to watch over our little girl, and that he grant us more patience.
We know He has chosen Alina to be ours, and it's dumbfounding to think of the wheels that had to be set in motion to bring this all together. There apparently was a couple just ahead of us on the waiting list in Chuvashia, but the week prior they decided to focus on a different region (they had been listed in two regions, while we were listed in just one). Knowing that we were matched at the exact time so that she would be the one we would meet reminds us that we will go back at the exact time that is right for us and for her.... in other words, on God's timing.
We put this in His hands and ask Him to protect and keep her because we cannot. All we ask for ourselves at this point is to make it through each day until we get the call that we are going back. Giving this worry up to God has been difficult, but it's the only thing that has helped us not to stay awake at night worrying about her to this point.
In the meantime, we continue to prepare our home for Alina's arrival. The wonderful folks at my office held a shower for us today. We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family.
Everything about this experience has ended up being a learning experience and a journey that we will never forget. Not only have we been reminded of how great a support network we have around us, we have found out more about ourselves. When we feel that we have just about run out of patience, God grants us a little bit more to get through another day.
I am usually a fairly happy go lucky person, with very few things in life causing me to worry too much that I don't know what to do with myself. But this is something that has tried my patience and my perseverance more than I have ever been tested in my life. I've found myself praying more, and asking God to watch over our little girl, and that he grant us more patience.
We know He has chosen Alina to be ours, and it's dumbfounding to think of the wheels that had to be set in motion to bring this all together. There apparently was a couple just ahead of us on the waiting list in Chuvashia, but the week prior they decided to focus on a different region (they had been listed in two regions, while we were listed in just one). Knowing that we were matched at the exact time so that she would be the one we would meet reminds us that we will go back at the exact time that is right for us and for her.... in other words, on God's timing.
We put this in His hands and ask Him to protect and keep her because we cannot. All we ask for ourselves at this point is to make it through each day until we get the call that we are going back. Giving this worry up to God has been difficult, but it's the only thing that has helped us not to stay awake at night worrying about her to this point.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
We'll Miss You, Bob!
We received some sad news this past weekend. Our neighbor, Bob Yum, passed away after a heart attack. He was just 59 years old, and he is gone way too soon. He was such a kind man and a wonderful neighbor, and we were blessed to know him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his brother Art and their family as they deal with this loss.
For those of you that may not know, or remember, Bob was our pharmacist for the last 3 years (ever since we bought our house). If you have followed our blog from the beginning, then you also know that he wrote one of our recommendation letters for our adoption. We are very sad that he won't get to meet Alina when she comes home.
Our dog, Bailey, will also miss barking and jumping on him when he hand delivered some of our prescriptions to the house. He always laughed, and was amazed at how big she was.
For those of you that may not know, or remember, Bob was our pharmacist for the last 3 years (ever since we bought our house). If you have followed our blog from the beginning, then you also know that he wrote one of our recommendation letters for our adoption. We are very sad that he won't get to meet Alina when she comes home.
Our dog, Bailey, will also miss barking and jumping on him when he hand delivered some of our prescriptions to the house. He always laughed, and was amazed at how big she was.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Hurry Up and Wait
The first 6 weeks after getting home from Moscow was a flurry of activity. We pulled together paperwork needed to send to Russia and had it notarized. We saw our doctor for another physical, and even saw a psychologist, so that we could have reports from them saying we were physically and mentally fit to be parents. We've met with our new pediatrician, and in the next couple weeks we will be researching and finding a part-time daycare for when Brandon has meetings outside the house. Finally, we've also spent time pulling Alina's room together, having baby showers, buying stuff we needed, and getting rid of any items in our house we no longer had room or any use for. So now, it's just waiting.
Our paperwork got to Russia early last week where it has to be translated, notarized, and authenticated. That process usually takes about 3 weeks, so we are nearly half way through the average time for that. Then it goes to the court so that they can set a hearing date. If I had to venture a guess, I think we should know a little more by the beginning of August, but don't hold me to that timeline because I honestly have no clue. What I do know is that we are on pins and needles until we hear something.
One other thing, keep your fingers crossed for my Mom. She has a out-of-town vacation planned for the second week of September, and if Alina comes home during that time, she will be beside herself!
Our paperwork got to Russia early last week where it has to be translated, notarized, and authenticated. That process usually takes about 3 weeks, so we are nearly half way through the average time for that. Then it goes to the court so that they can set a hearing date. If I had to venture a guess, I think we should know a little more by the beginning of August, but don't hold me to that timeline because I honestly have no clue. What I do know is that we are on pins and needles until we hear something.
One other thing, keep your fingers crossed for my Mom. She has a out-of-town vacation planned for the second week of September, and if Alina comes home during that time, she will be beside herself!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Baby Shower #2
Yesterday we had a couples' shower with several more friends and their kids. Our friends Jennifer and Lisa hosted it for us at our house, and we very much appreciate all their hard work to pull it together. One cute thing happened to Lisa when she went to pick up the cake. She had them write "Welcome Alina" on the cake. When she went to pick it up, the woman at Tom Thumb in a very thick Russian accent asked "Is the baby from Russia?" Lisa smiled and answered "Yes she is." We are so very proud that Alina is from Russia and we hope to learn more about her country and culture when we travel back there.
We had a great time sharing stories of our Russian travels at the party, and we fielded questions about the adoption process from our guests. One thing is for certain, when you decide to become an adoptive parent, you will instantly become an advocate for making the entire process easier on deserving families. We certainly cannot complain, because the length of time for our adoption was shorter than we anticipated, but it certainly has had its bumps in the road. We thought the wait before getting matched to a child would be hard, but we had no idea that the wait to return to get our little girl after we had met her would be a thousand times more difficult.
We also were able to show off Alina's room now that it is finished. With its green walls and cherry wood furniture, it has become a very peaceful and serene part of our house and we find ourselves drawn in. We have a couple pictures of her in the room so that we can see her beautiful face every time we walk in. We can't wait to bring her home and spend time with her in her new room. Very soon we will know what it is like to be parents day-in and day-out, and we look forward to the day when we can't remember what it was like without her in our lives.
We had a great time sharing stories of our Russian travels at the party, and we fielded questions about the adoption process from our guests. One thing is for certain, when you decide to become an adoptive parent, you will instantly become an advocate for making the entire process easier on deserving families. We certainly cannot complain, because the length of time for our adoption was shorter than we anticipated, but it certainly has had its bumps in the road. We thought the wait before getting matched to a child would be hard, but we had no idea that the wait to return to get our little girl after we had met her would be a thousand times more difficult.
We also were able to show off Alina's room now that it is finished. With its green walls and cherry wood furniture, it has become a very peaceful and serene part of our house and we find ourselves drawn in. We have a couple pictures of her in the room so that we can see her beautiful face every time we walk in. We can't wait to bring her home and spend time with her in her new room. Very soon we will know what it is like to be parents day-in and day-out, and we look forward to the day when we can't remember what it was like without her in our lives.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
You Look Fabulous!
Yesterday, Brandon and I swung by Target to get one thing fixed on our registry. Because we had registered there for our wedding and used the same e-mail address, they still had her maiden name on the baby's registry. We tried calling their customer service line, but the person we got must have been incompetent because they didn't fix it even after assuring us it had been done.
Upon arriving at the store, we went to the Customer Service desk to tell them of our plight hoping they could help us. Unfortunately, they told us that it could only be done online or by calling the customer service desk. When we told them we had tried both with no luck, they offered to call customer service for us while we waited.
Rather than stand around having both of us stare at them, I decided to walk around a bit. As Brandon stood with the lady from Target, the woman looked and saw that the baby due date on our registry said August 1st. Assuming Brandon was 8 months pregnant, she did a double take at the registry, and then at Brandon and exclaimed, "Your baby is due August 1st? My God, you look fabulous."
Brandon then had to explain to the woman that we were adopting, and that their system would not allow us to put Alina's birthdate in since it was in 2007, so we were forced to pick a random date. However, Brandon thanked her for the compliment anyway. As we later walked around the store, I think there was still a spring in her step from the the misled compliment.
Upon arriving at the store, we went to the Customer Service desk to tell them of our plight hoping they could help us. Unfortunately, they told us that it could only be done online or by calling the customer service desk. When we told them we had tried both with no luck, they offered to call customer service for us while we waited.
Rather than stand around having both of us stare at them, I decided to walk around a bit. As Brandon stood with the lady from Target, the woman looked and saw that the baby due date on our registry said August 1st. Assuming Brandon was 8 months pregnant, she did a double take at the registry, and then at Brandon and exclaimed, "Your baby is due August 1st? My God, you look fabulous."
Brandon then had to explain to the woman that we were adopting, and that their system would not allow us to put Alina's birthdate in since it was in 2007, so we were forced to pick a random date. However, Brandon thanked her for the compliment anyway. As we later walked around the store, I think there was still a spring in her step from the the misled compliment.
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